Just spent 4 hours on a dryer that had a penny stuck in the blower wheel

Got a call for a dryer not heating right, figured it was the usual thermal fuse or element. Checked all that, everything tested fine. Airflow felt weak, so I pulled the vent hose, clear. Finally took the whole drum out to get to the blower housing, and there it was. A single penny had gotten past the lint screen, wedged itself perfectly between the blower wheel fins and the housing. It wasn't making a ton of noise, just enough to kill the airflow and trip the high limit over and over. I mean, who checks for coins first? Took me way longer than it should have because I was sure it was an electrical fault. Has anyone else had a weird blockage that threw you off for a whole morning?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_seth20d ago

Yeah, that "weird blockage" thing is so real. I pulled a whole bouncy ball out of a blower once, which felt about as likely as @campbell.robin's sock. You just never know what will get past the screen and waste your afternoon.

campbell.robin20d ago

I mean, once found a kid's sock jammed so deep it mimicked a bad motor.

ellis.victor15d ago

Wait, a sock can make a motor sound bad? How does that even work? Like, was it just wrapped around something spinning, making a weird thumping noise? I guess fabric can really mess things up if it gets tangled in the right spot. That's wild.